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Judge pauses deadline for federal workers to accept Trump's resignation offer; CA state lawmakers take action to enact safeguards against federal immigration enforcement; Study shows air quality disparities from industrial ag in NC.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes a Trump tone at the Justice Department, federal workers get more time to consider buyouts, and an unclassified email request from the White House worries CIA vets.

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During Black History Month, a new book shares how a unique partnership built 5,000 schools for Black students, anti-hunger advocates say ag communities would benefit from an expanded SNAP program, and Americans have $90 billion in unpaid medical bills.

WY energy industry has opportunity to track down human traffickers

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Thursday, January 23, 2025   

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and educators are training workers in key industries to recognize and report the crime, including energy workers in Wyoming.

Human trafficking is the use of force, fraud or coercion to exploit people for sex or labor.

Lindsey Mattson, director of industry engagement for the group TAT, formerly known as Truckers Against Trafficking, said the industry makes big illicit profits globally, second only to the drug trade. TAT now trains groups across the transportation sector who are likely to intersect with traffickers including energy workers and people working at truck stops and dealerships.

"We can mobilize millions of people to move from passive bystanders to active disrupters," Mattson explained. "That is really our goal is to train as many people as possible throughout all transportation industries to truly have an impact on fighting this crime."

Shared Hope International gave Wyoming an "F" score on a 2023 report card on child and youth sex trafficking. It noted Wyoming is one of the few states to approve criminalizing survivors of trafficking, allowing sexually exploited minors to be held criminally accountable for their own victimization.

Mattson stressed energy workers are vital eyes and ears on the ground, because they may use the same gas stations and hotels as traffickers, and the workers themselves are targeted because they are often stationed in one place.

"They look for concentrations of men housed away from home with purchasing power," Mattson noted. "For the energy industry, something like a work camp or project location."

TAT has trained nearly 2 million professionals to identify and report the crime, including 50,000 energy workers in 43 companies.

The Wyoming Attorney General's Office is collaborating on an April conference, the Greater Rockies Immersive Training on Exploitation and Trafficking.


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